Bootleg Series, Vol. 1: The Quine Tapes

The time-honored tradition of a fan taping a live concert of a favorite band takes an unusual twist with the three-CD set "The Velvet Underground Bootleg Series, Volume 1: The Quine Tapes." Robert Quine was not only a fan of one of rock's most influential and legendary bands when he recorded the group in 1969 but the guitarist later became a founder of punk pioneers Richard Hell & the Voidoids.

In 1969 Quine became a friend of the band and was sometimes asked to play back a particular song from the previous night. He was also savvy enough to take his original cassette tapes and transfer what he considered the best performances onto reel-to-reel tape. Those four hours comprise the digitally compiled and remastered The Quine Tapes. All but one of the tracks are previously unreleased ("Rock And Roll" appears in a different mix on Velvet Underground Live 1969). Recorded at a large hall (The Family Dog) and a small club (The Matrix) in San Francisco, and the basketball gym at Washington University in St. Louis, the collection illustrates the band in both spacious and intimate environs.
The Quine Tapes find The Velvet Underground just after John Cale's exit and just before the band's final studio album, 1970's Loaded. With Reed (guitar, lead vocals), Sterling Morrison (guitar, vocals), Doug Yule (bass, organ, vocals) and Maureen Tucker (drums, vocals), the group is at the height of its powers as it spans the Velvet Underground opus, from "I'm Waiting For The Man" and "Heroin" to 24-, 38- and 28-minute versions of its signature tune, "Sister Ray." Also heard are scintillating performances of "Foggy Notion," "What Goes On," "White Light/White Heat," "Ride Into The Sun," "Follow The Leader," "New Age," "Too Much," "I Can't Stand It," "Some Kinda Love," "Femme Fatale," "After Hours," "I'm Sticking With You," "Sunday Morning," "Venus In Furs," "Over You" and "Black Angel's Death Song." 23 tracks total